Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Variation in Vegetation Structure and Soil Properties, and the Relation Between Understory Plants and Environmental Variables Under Different Phyllostachys pubescens Forests in Southeastern China

  • Published:
Environmental Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Biodiversity maintenance and soil improvement are key sustainable forestry objectives. Research on the effects of bamboo forest management on plant diversity and soil properties are therefore necessary in bamboo-growing regions, such as southeastern China’s Shunchang County, that have not been studied from this perspective. We analyzed the effects of different Phyllostachys pubescens proportions in managed forests on vegetation structure and soil properties using pure Cunninghamia lanceolata forests as a contrast, and analyzed the relation between understory plants and environmental variables (i.e., topography, stand and soil characteristics) by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). The forest with 80% P. pubescens and 20% hardwoods (such as Phoebe bournei, Jatropha curcas, Schima superba) maintained the highest plant diversity and best soil properties, with significantly higher plant diversity than the C. lanceolata forest, and better soil physicochemical and biological properties. The distribution of understory plants is highly related to environmental factors. Silvicultural disturbance strongly influenced the ability of different bamboo forests to maintain biodiversity and soil quality under extensive management, and the forest responses to management were consistent with the intermediate-disturbance hypothesis (i.e., diversity and soil properties were best at intermediate disturbance levels). Our results suggest that biodiversity maintenance and soil improvement are important management goals for sustainable bamboo management. To achieve those objectives, managers should balance the inputs and outputs of nutrients and protect understory plants by using appropriate fertilizer (e.g., organic fertilizer), adjusting stand structure, modifying utilization model and the harvest time, and controlling the intensity of culms and shoots harvests.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Acosta-Martínez V, Harmel R (2006) Soil microbial communities and enzyme activities under various poultry litter application rates. Journal of Environmental Quality 35:1309–1318

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Acosta-Martinez V, Tabatabai M (2004) Enzyme activities in a limed agricultural soil. Biology and Fertility of Soils 33:17–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Arunachalam A, Arunachalam K (2002) Evaluation of bamboos in eco-restoration of ‘jhum’fallows in Arunachal Pradesh: ground vegetation, soil and microbial biomass. Forest Ecology and Management 159:231–239

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Battles JJ, Shlisky AJ, Barrett RH, Heald RC, Allen-Diaz BH (2001) The effects of forest management on plant species diversity in a Sierran conifer forest. Forest Ecology and Management 146:211–222

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Black CA, Evans DD, Ensminger LE, White JL, Clark FE, Dinauer RC (1965) Methods of soil analysis. Part 2. Chemical and microbiological properties. American Society of Agronomy, Inc. Mdison, Wisconsin, USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Burger JA, Kelting DL (1999) Using soil quality indicators to assess forest stand management. Forest Ecology and Management 122:155–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bystriakova N, Kapos V, Lysenko I, Stapleton CMA (2003) Distribution and conservation status of forest bamboo biodiversity in the Asia-Pacific Region. Biodiversity and Conservation 12:1833–1841

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cao QG, Fu MY, Li ZC (1997) A summary of the studies on the plantation productivity and nutrient cycling in Chinese Fir plantation ecosystem. Forest Research 10:303–308; In Chinese

    Google Scholar 

  • Christanty L, Kimmins JP, Mailly D (1997) `Without bamboo, the land dies’: a conceptual model of the biogeochemical role of bamboo in an Indonesian agroforestry system. Forest Ecology and Management 91:83–91

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crecchio C, Curci M, Pizzigallo MDR, Ricciuti P, Ruggiero P (2004) Effects of municipal solid waste compost amendments on soil enzyme activities and bacterial genetic diversity. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 36:1595–1605

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dale VH, Beyeler SC (2001) Challenges in the development and use of ecological indictors. Ecological Indicators 1:3–10

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deckers B, Hermy M, Muys B (2004) Factors affecting plant species composition of hedgerows: relative importance and hierarchy. Acta Oecologica 26:23–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Di BJ, Wang ZP (1996) Flora of China (vo1 9, section 1). Science Press, Beijing; In Chinese

    Google Scholar 

  • Embaye K, Weiha M, Ledin S, Christersson L (2005) Biomass and nutrient distribution in a highland bamboo forest in southwest Ethiopia: implications for management. Forest Ecology and Management 204:159–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Filip Z (2002) International approach to assessing soil quality by ecologically-related biological parameters. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 88:169–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu MY, Lou YP (2002) Prospect of research on sustainable management techniques of bamboo forests in china. In: Kumar A, Rao IVR, Sastry C (eds) Bamboo for sustainable development. Proceedings of the Vth international bamboo congress and the VIth international bamboo workshop VSP & International Network for Bamboo and Rattan, pp 431–442

  • Fukuzawa K, Shibata H, Takagi K, Nomura M, Kurima N, Fukazawa T, Satoh F, Sasa K (2006) Effects of clear-cutting on nitrogen leaching and fine root dynamics in a cool-temperate forested watershed in northern Japan. Forest Ecology and Management 225:257–261

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gartlan JS, Newbery DM, Thomas DW, Waterman PG (2004) The influence of topography and soil phosphorus on the vegetation of Korup Forest Reserve, Cameroun. Plant Ecology 65:131–148

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilliam FS (2006) Response of the herbaceous layer of forest ecosystems to excess nitrogen deposition. Journal of Ecology 94:1176–1191

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gilliam FS (2007) The ecological significance of the herbaceous layer in temperate forest ecosystems. Bioscience 57:845–858

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham MH, Haynes RJ (2005) Organic matter accumulation and fertilizer-induced acidification interact to affect soil microbial and enzyme activity on a long-term sugarcane management experiment. Biology and Fertility of Soils 41:249–256

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffmann E, Teicher K (1961) Ein kolorimetrisches Verfahren zur Bestimmung der Ureaseaktivität in Böden Z Pflanzenernaehr Düngung Bodenkd 95:55–63

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofmann E, Seegerer A (1951) The enzyme system of our culture soils. 1. Saccharase. Biochemische Zeitschrift 322:174–179

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hokkanen PJ (2006) Environmental patterns and gradients in the vascular plants and bryophytes of eastern Fennoscandian herb-rich forests. Forest Ecology and Management 229:73–87

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IBAS (Institute of Botany, Academia Sinica) (1983) Iconographia cormophytorum sonicorum. Tomus 1–5, Supplementum 1–2. Science Press, Beijing

  • Iida S, Nakashizuka T (1995) Forest fragmentation and its effect on species diversity in sub-urban coppice forests in Japan. Forest Ecology and Management 73:197–210

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jafaria M, Chahoukib MAZ, Tavilib A, Azarnivandb H, Amiri GZ (2004) Effective environmental factors in the distribution of vegetation types in Poshtkouh rangelands of Yazd Province (Iran). Journal of Arid Environments 56:627–641

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang Y, Kang M, Zhu Y, Xu G (2007) Plant biodiversity patterns on Helan Mountain, China. Acta Oecologica 32:125–133

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson JL, Temple KL (1964) Some variables affecting the measurement of “Catalase Activity” in soil. Soil Science Society of America Journal 28:207–209

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson LF, Curl EA (1972) Methods for research on the ecology of soil-borne plant pathogens. Burgess, Minneapolis

    Google Scholar 

  • Kershaw KA, Looney JHH (1985) Quantitative and dynamic plant ecology. Edward Arnold, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar KSM, Alagawadi AR, Patil VC (2002) Studies on microbial diversity and their activity in soil under bamboo plantation. In: Kumar A, Rao IVR, Sastry Ch (eds) Bamboo for sustainable development. Proceedings of the Vth international bamboo congress and the VIth international bamboo workshop VSP & International Network for Bamboo and Rattan, pp 299–307

  • Li R, Werger MJA, During HJ, Zhong ZC (1998) Carbon and nutrient dynamics in relation to growth rhythm in the giant bamboo Phyllostachys pubescens. Plant and Soil 201:113–123

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lindenmayer DB, Margules CR, Botkin DB (2000) Indicators of biodiversity for ecologically sustainable forest management. Conservation Biology 14:941–950

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma XQ, Heal KV, Liu AQ, Jarvis PG (2007) Nutrient cycling and distribution in different-aged plantations of Chinese fir in southern China. Forest Ecology and Management 243:61–74

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magurran AE (1988) Ecological diversity and its measurement. Croom Helm, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Marinari S, Masciandaro G, Ceccanti B, Grego S (2000) Influence of organic and mineral fertilisers on soil biological and physical properties. Bioresource Technology 72:9–17

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miller RW, Donahue RL, Miller JU (1990) Soils: an introduction to soils and plant growth. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

    Google Scholar 

  • Moustafa AE-RA, Zaghloul MS (1996) Environment and vegetation in the montane Saint Catherine area, south Sinai, Egypt. Journal of Arid Environments 34:331–349

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ometo JPHB, Martinelli LA, Ballester MV, Gessner A, Krusche AV, Victoria RL, Williams M (2000) Effects of land use on water chemistry and macroinvertebrates in two streams of the Piracicaba river basin, southeast Brazil. Freshwater Biology 44:327–337

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pielou EC (1966) The measurement of diversity in different types of biological collections. Journal of Theoretical Biology 13:131–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qiu GX, Shen YK, Li DY, Wang ZW, Hudang QM, Yang DD, Goa A (1992) Bamboo in sub-tropical eastern China. In: Long SP, Jones MB, Roberts MJ (eds) Primary productivity of grass ecosystems of the tropics and sub-tropics. Chapman & Hall, London, pp 159–246

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts MR (2004) Response of the herbaceous layer to natural disturbance in North American forests. Canadian Journal of Botany 82:1273–1283

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts MR (2007) A conceptual model to characterize disturbance severity in forest harvests. Forest Ecology and Management 242:58–64

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts MR, Gilliam FS (1995) Patterns and mechanisms of plant diversity in forested ecosystems: implications for forest management. Ecological Applications 5:969–977

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberts MR, Gilliam FS (2003) Response of the herbaceous layer to disturbance in eastern forests. In: Gilliam FS, Roberts MR (eds) The herbaceous layer in forests of eastern North America. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 302–320

    Google Scholar 

  • Saha S, Gopinath KA, Mina BL, Gupta HS (2008) Influence of continuous application of inorganic nutrients to a Maize-Wheat rotation on soil enzyme activity and grain quality in a rainfed Indian soil. European Journal of Soil Biology 44:521–531

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schumann ME, White AS, Witham JW (2003) The effects of harvest created gaps on plant species diversity, composition, and abundance in a Maine oak-pine forest. Forest Ecology and Management 176:543–561

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shanmughavel P, Francis K (1996) Biomass and nutrient cycling in bamboo (Bambusa bambos) plantations of tropical areas. Biology and Fertility of Soils 23:431–434

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shanmughavel P, Francis K (1997) Balance and turnover of nutrients in a bamboo plantation (Bambusa bambos) of different ages. Biology and Fertility of Soils 25:69–74

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shannon CE (1949) The mathematical theory of communication. In: Shannon CE, Weaver W (eds) The mathematical theory of communication. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, pp 29–125

    Google Scholar 

  • Shen H, Cao ZH, Xu ZH (2000) Effects of fertilization on different carbon fractions and carbon management index in soils. Acta Pedologica Sinica 37:166–173; in Chinese

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Siccama GT, Bormann HF, Likens EG (1970) The Hubbard Brook ecosystem study: productivity, nutrients and phytosociology of the herbaceous layer. Ecological Monographs 40

  • Singh RA (1980) soil physical analysis. Kalyani Publishers, New Delhi-Ludhiana

    Google Scholar 

  • Spies TA, Turner MG (1999) Dynamic forest mosaics. In: Hunter ML (ed) Maintaining biodiversity in forest ecosystems. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 335–361

  • Swanson FJ, Clayton JL, Megahan WF, Bush G (1989) Erosional processes and long-term site productivity. In: Perry DA, Meurisse R, Thomas B, Miller R, Boyle J, Means J, Perry CR, Powers RF (eds) Maintaining the long-term productivity of Pacific Northwest Forest Ecosystems. Timber Press, Portland, OR, pp 67–81

    Google Scholar 

  • Tiessen H, Cuevas E, Chacon P (1994) The role of soil organic matter in sustaining soil fertility. Nature 371:783–785

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Torras O, Saura S (2008) Effects of silvicultural treatments on forest biodiversity indicators in the Mediterranean. Forest Ecology and Management 255:3322–3330

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uchimura E (1978) Ecological studies on cultivation of tropical bamboo forest in the Philippines. Bulletin of the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute 301:79–118

    Google Scholar 

  • Waksman SA (1952) Soil microbiology. Wiley, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang FE, Chen YX, Tian GM, Kumar S, He YF, Fu QL, Lin Q (2004) Microbial biomass carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil profiles of different vegetation covers established for soil rehabilitation in a red soil region of southeastern China. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 68:181–189

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang QK, Wang SL, Huang Y (2008) Comparisons of litterfall, litter decomposition and nutrient return in a monoculture Cunninghamia lanceolata and a mixed stand. Forest Ecology and Management 255:1210–1218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Withers PJA, Lord EI (2002) Agricultural nutrient inputs to rivers and groundwaters in the UK: policy, environmental management and research needs. Science of the Total Environment 282:9–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu JS, Zhou GM, Qian XB, Yang F, Wu XM (2005) Distribution of nutrient elements in different organs of Phyllostachys pubescens under different managements. Journal of Zhejiang Forestry College 22:486–489; In Chinese

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • XaзИeB ΦX (1976) ed. Trans. Zheng HY, Zhou LK, Zhang DS (1980) Soil enzyme activities. Science Press Beijng; in Chinese

  • Zhang J-T, Dong Y (2009) Factors affecting species diversity of plant communities and the restoration process in the loess area of China. Ecological Engineering. doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2009.1004.1001

  • Zhang YX, Zhang ZQ, Zhang XJ, Liu QY, Jin J (2001) Population dynamics of phytophagous and predatory mites (Acari: Tetranychidae, Eriophyidae, Phytoseiidae) on bamboo plants in Fujian, China. Experimental and Applied Acarology 25:383–391

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Chinese national basic research program (2009CB421106) and the “Eleventh Five-Year” national scientific and technological support project (2006BAD19B0103, 2006BAD19B0104, and 2006BAD19B0302). We are grateful to: Dinghua Zhang for laboratory analyses, Yuzhen Weng and Xiaochou Chen for assistance with fieldwork, Zongming He and Guanglu Liu for identification of plant species and two anonymous reviewers for feedback on the research and manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 11A, Datun Road Chaoyang District, 100101, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Changshun Zhang, Gaodi Xie & Lin Zhen

  2. International Centre for Bamboo and Rattan, 100102, Beijing, China

    Shaohui Fan

Authors
  1. Changshun Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gaodi Xie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shaohui Fan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Lin Zhen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Changshun Zhang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zhang, C., Xie, G., Fan, S. et al. Variation in Vegetation Structure and Soil Properties, and the Relation Between Understory Plants and Environmental Variables Under Different Phyllostachys pubescens Forests in Southeastern China. Environmental Management 45, 779–792 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-010-9429-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-010-9429-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation